Council to debate removal of Norgoma, using marina as skating rink

Current high water levels may allow us to remove M.S. Norgoma from Bondar Marina without dredging, councillors say

A 67-year-old package freighter that's been rusting on the Sault waterfront since 1975 is back on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting of City Council.

Ward 3 Councillor Matthew Shoemaker and Ward 4's Rick Niro say the current high water levels may provide an opportunity to remove the M.S. Norgoma from Roberta Bondar Marina without costly dredging.

As SooToday reported last month, Mayor Chrisrian Provenzano has served notice that he wants the Norgoma moved out of the marina and out of downtown Sault Ste. Marie.

Councllors Shoemaker and Niro also want the city to look into improvements to the Bondar marina.

The following is the full text of two Norgoma-related resolutions to be discussed on Tuesday.

Tuesday's City Council meeting will be livestreamed on SooToday starting at 4:30 p.m.

*************************Norgoma and Bondar Marina

Mover: Councillor M. Shoemaker

Seconder: Councillor R. Niro

Whereas in April 2013, city staff reported to council on options to remove the M.S. Norgoma from the Bondar Marina; and

Whereas at the time, the water levels in the St. Marys River meant that the removal effort would require dredging the Bondar Marina in order to successfully remove the M.S. Norgoma from the Bondar marina; and

Whereas 2017 has seen high river and lake water levels across the Sault; and

Whereas the high water levels may provide an opportunity to remove the M.S. Norgoma from the Bondar Marina without the requirement to dredge the marina; and

Whereas the M.S. Norgoma cannot be removed from the Bondar Marina without a plan in place for where the ship should go, and what improvements should be made to the Bondar Marina;

Now therefore be it resolved that city staff report back to City Council on the following:

Options for removing the M.S. Norgoma from the Bondar Marina, including the cost of removal, where the ship will be brought, and options for what can be done with the ship on a permanent basis and potential funding sources to achieve this;

Recommended improvements to the Bondar Marina, including the cost of implementing said improvements and identifying potential funding sources for those improvements; and

Further that staff examine, as part of the review of recommended improvements to the Bondar Marina, whether the Bondar Marina could be used as an outdoor skating rink in the winter, and options, as well as the cost of said options, for the re-installation of the section of the boardwalk that had previously been in the Bondar Marina.

*************************

M.S. Norgoma

Mover: Councillor S. Myers

Seconder: Councillor S. Hollingsworth

Whereas the City of Sault Ste. Marie has two well established advisory bodies of City Council each of which was created to advise City Council on matters pertaining to culture and heritage, and whose members are community volunteers appointed by City Council based on their expertise in culture and heritage, and said bodies as stated on the City’s website are:

Cultural Advisory Board – as a board of council, whose primary purpose is to advise on all matters concerning the cultural life of the community and the implementation of the cultural policy for the Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie

Municipal Heritage Committee – The Sault Ste. Marie Municipal Heritage Committee advises City Council on matters relating to Part IV (Conservation of Buildings of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest); and

Whereas the cultural policy indicates that a Cultural Advisory Board be formed “to advise, assist and make recommendations to council on cultural matters"; and

Whereas Section 1.2 of the Cultural Policy, Definition of Culture includes a heritage arts component, which speaks to heritage conservation, identification, protection and interpretation of:

Whereas the M.S. Norgoma is a museum ship, an artifact referenced in the aforementioned section iii and meeting the Miriam Webster definition of an artifact being “an object remaining from a particular period”;

Now therefore be it resolved that the Cultural Advisory Board and Municipal Heritage Committee be requested to provide City Council with a report providing an opinion as to the cultural and heritage value of the M.S. Norgoma to the community in its present state; and

Further be it resolved that such an opinion be viewed as advice only, provided to council for consideration as to present and future value of the M.S. Norgoma within the context of community culture and heritage.

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